HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-STAC-2009-12-02Shade Tree Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes
December 2, 2009
Present: Nina Bassuk, Judy Fogel, Tony Hanna, Andy Hillman, Dan Klein, Pamela Marcham,
Judith Maxwell, Paul Paradine, Monika Roth, Nancy Schuler, Debra Statton, Keith Vanderhye,
Lew Ward
Follow up to last meeting: the Committee will aim for Spring for editing homeowner notice.
Corrections to October Minutes: 1) Schichtel's replaced for free 10 Chestnut Oaks, Quercus
prinus, not Frontier Elms.
2) Under Commons Redesign notes, sentence should read "Various options in the plan run to
$5 -6 Million." [omit 2nd and 3rd clauses.]
3) under "Issues of Concern" the item on INHS' plans to cut down trees at the corner of Cayuga
and Seneca beside Women's Community Bldg is no longer true. Nina reports that Trowbridge
and Wolf, designers for the project, are not considering removal of the trees.
Announcements: Carolyn Boronkay is going off STAC. Several other STAC members are being
reappointed tonight at Common Council. Today is also Nancy Schuler's last STAC meeting, since
her term on Common Council ends Dec 31, 2009.
Forester's Report: City crews have been grinding stumps, pruning, and doing removals.
Also a little bit of planting, including 2 Zelkova serrata `Green Vase' donated by Tatum Engineering
and put at replacement sites, one on Hancock St. They planted a Bur Oak, Q. macrocarpa, by City
Hall, also an Accolade Elm, both replacements. 14 `Winter King' Hawthorns were available at a
good price, and were bought and sited, 5 -6 on Hector St and 2 near the Fall Creek House on Lake St.
A donated tulip poplar (in poor condition) was planted on Chestnut St.
The City gained 12 new cultivars – Ulmus x `Danada Charm', Liquidambar styraciflua, and
Cornus kousa 'Venus'—and 141 shrubs at the Water and Sewer Building on First and Franklin,
thanks to Nina's planting there. In the fall of 2010 the rest of Franklin will be planted.
For the spring, Andy's department has $5,000 in its budget for trees.
Andy interviewed today for the forestry technician position. The technician should be hired
by Dec 30 of this year.
Commons Redesign: Nina, Paul and Pamela went to the Sasaki presentation and then to the public
meeting afterward. Nina says a main point is that the City is not starting from scratch/ground with
the redesign and should look at the condition of the Commons' now, with an eye to maintaining
existing benefits, and consider the "minimal options." She wonders about the possibility of
abandoning the aging pipes and starting new pipes beside them. The "mole" works with pipes 6
inches and more in diameter.
Beautification Brigade report from Dan: he's been doing clean up, tulip planting, mulching.
Paul on NYSEG's wood donation to the City: he cleared it with DEC so that his crews can bring
the wood they cut down on Yellow Barn Road to the sides of the road for Scott from Urban Timber
Salvage to cut into boards. Paul is working on getting Scott covered by NYSEG insurance. Then
Andy can use the wood for revenue - -- mill it, and auction it off — and use the proceeds to buy trees.
For now, the wood can be stored in the pavilion at Stewart Park.
Citizen Pruner report from Monika: pruning ended at the end of October. Monika is considering
training and work dates for next year. Training will start in March, then continue outside in mid
April. She will do a summary report of hours worked. Approximately 500 trees were pruned this
season( often up to a 1000 per season). The program started in 1991.
Tree Inventory at Cornell: Nina projected on screen a tree map of Cornell and the City which she
and two of her graduate students have been working on, and she demonstrated how to zoom in on an
area to find the inventory information. The students have mapped the 8,000 trees in tree lawns at
Cornell.
Brochure on Structural Soil: Nina's students have mapped out 23 sites in the City where there is
structural soil. Nina would like to make a brochure with information on when installed, how deep,
etc.
Responses to Issues of Concern Brought to Committee's attention by Pamela in October:
1) re Cass park parking, Andy says this is a Parks Commission issue, but agrees that
something is needed to keep the cars back from the trees - -- bumpers? Fences?
2) Re LACS and the one big old oak saved but now being parked on, Andy hopes as a
member of the Site Plan Review Committee to work more closely with INHS since they are
involved with so many sites and so many trees. He will invite Paul Mazzarella to STAC.
Nina has spoken to the Site Plan Review Committee about making decisions and
preserving trees that will be left.
Andy mentioned but did not elaborate on the new parking lot planned to go in by Island Health and
Fitness, which will be done without drainage pipes, using native plants. He has some concerns but is
not ready to comment yet.
Next meeting Wednesday Jan 6, 2010
Minutes Respectfully submitted by Debra Statton